NASS Committee on Works Visit, Affirm Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Progress of Work

• Passes vote of Confident on Umahi and Hitech to deliver project

The Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency Sen Engr Nweze David Umahi CON on Friday 1 November 2024 conducted the National Assembly and Joint Committee on Works members on a tour to assess the progress of work on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

The National Assembly and Joint Committee on Works during the tour passed a vote of confidence on the Minister of Works, His Excellency Sen Engr Nweze David Umahi CON, affirming the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a work in progress.

The joint committee members which include the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Mr Peter Nwenbonyi, Minority Whip of the Senate, Sen. Osita Ngwu, Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Sen. Mpigi Barinada, and Chairman the House of Representatives, Committee on Works, Hon. Akin Alabi, unanimously passed the vote of confidence in Umahi on the on-going project, thereby dispelling the news making the rounds that the project has been abandoned.

Minority Whip of the Senate, Sen. Osita Ngwu, in a separate remark, encouraged the ministry that they should endeavour to show Nigerians what is going on as the project is progressing.

Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Mr Peter Nwenbonyi, commended Mr President and the contractor, Hitech on the project, noting that the project is trying to bring the economy back as well as benefit Nigerians as a game changer.

Nwenbonyi revealed that there are a lot of petitions in the Assembly over compensation, noting that people have the right to petition, but the committee will continue to engage with the ministry.

The members also pledged their support to Ministry of Works despite the petitions, which is allegedly slowing down the pace of work on the coastal road.

They lauded President Bola Tinubu for the project, which they affirmed as a legacy for his administration as it was designed to cut across all regions of the country, with high economic benefits.

The law makers urged Umahi to continue to interface with members of the joint committee of works at the National Assembly in the event of unanticipated circumstances during the construction of the project.

Earlier, Umahi highlighted on the progress made on the project and the removal of refuse dumps that has lasted for over 50 years and the refilling of sand and acknowledged that he was satisfied that Hitech was doing a good job.

The minister revealed that section one of the road project will be handed over on May 29, 2025.

He appealed to the House committee members to investigate any rumour before serving summons on the ministry to prevent unnecessary delays with progress of the highway project construction.

He advised aggrieved persons to stop politicising the coastal highway project and approach the courts like other aggrieved persons as the government legal team are prepared to meet them in court.

“The Attorney-General has led a legal team to meet them in court. That is the right thing to do because everything that government wants to do, people want to thwart it,” the minister added.

He emphasized that the President was magnanimous in authorising payment for compensations to owners of even illegal structures and shanties, noting that the court matters are only distraction because the country have laws on evaluation and compensation and not what the person think should be paid.

Umahi also appealed to the law makers to try to harmonise the petitions being sent to both chambers of the National Assembly.